Lakeview Neurorehab: Continuing Chronic Problems

    by Mike Corthell, Editor and Publisher

Joelle Ferstenberg, 18, was found two and a half days after she disappeared from Lakeview NeuroRehabilitation Center. From this reporter's experience, under-staffing of the facility is the likely cause. This has been an ongoing problem since the former Highwatch rehabilitation hospital opened in the mid 1980's.

The following are problems that I observed directly at Lakeview Neurorehabilitation Center in Effingham, New Hampshire. 

From what has been reported to me recently, the very same problems continue.

A sampling:

•         Understaffed nearly all the time (95%)

•         Patients allowed to form romantic relationships(allowed to have sex)

•         Violent patients mixed with defenseless ones, who get beat up – it's almost impossible for staff to protect them.

•         Patients kept longer than needed(mostly they recover despite no true therapies).

•         Slow to get medical treatment for sick patients.

•         Staff trained to control violent patients using the Mandt System [http://www.mandtsystem.com] Most staff think that it is ineffective to control very violent patients and dangerous to staff trying to use the method.

•         Several patients have hepatitis C and HIV. Staff and other patients not adequately protected from blood-borne contamination.

•         Patients absolutely do not get adequate therapy, PT, OT, counseling. In fact, their insurance companies allegedly get charged for services that were not performed.

•         The physical plant is in disrepair, there are allegedly many building code violations and the facility is just plain dirty and unsanitary.